The Bookworm and the Basilisk
by autumn midnights
Summary: Missing moment from Chamber of Secrets. Hermione finds out what is attacking the Muggle-born students of Hogwarts. For the 'Anything You Wanna Write' challenge over at HPFC.


I had always known there was a good chance that I would be attacked by the monster. Even before it became well-known that the attacker, whatever or whoever it was, was after Muggle-borns like me. After all, the message on the wall, said, "Enemies of the Heir, beware". The heir was obviously in Slytherin, and who were enemies of Slytherins? Muggle-borns. No questions asked. There was also the whole 'best friends with Harry Potter' situation, in addition, which made me rather high-profile in the school. I almost expected it, which is why I threw myself into researching.

I was in the library when I found the book that explained what the monster was-a basilisk. I had been looking in books on Dark magical creatures-for what else could be doing such a thing?-when I found it. A basilisk was a large, no, immense, serpent that could kill its victims with one glance. The people who had been Petrified had seen the creature through something else. Mrs. Norris saw its reflection through the water in the hallway. Colin had seen it through his camera. Justin had seen it through Nearly Headless Nick.

In a way, this was good, for I knew how to defend myself. I reached into my bag and pulled out a compact mirror that Lavender had forced into my hand earlier. She was always trying to get me to use make-up with her and Parvati, both of who, I might add, were pretty enough as it was without slathering goop all over their faces. I had taken the mirror, though, just to be polite, and stuffed it into my bag, intending not to use it. Now, though, it would certainly come in handy. If I saw the basilisk through this mirror, I would simply be Petrified, and revived in a little while once Professor Sprout had prepared the Mandrakes.

Placing the mirror on the library desk, I turned back to the book. I had to show Harry and Ron this, and quickly. Looking around furtively to make sure no one saw, I took a deep breath and ripped the page out before returning the book to the shelf. I didn't have time to be questioned by Madam Pince as to why I was checking out such a book, when it was not necessary in any of the classes that I had been taking. I looked back down at the paper, suddenly confused by something. A basilisk was a giant serpent, probably fifty feet long. There was no way that it could slither around the school unnoticed. I paused to think. How could it be getting around? Ah, yes. The pipes! It had to be using the pipes! Harry, who understood its hissing, always seemed to hear it in the walls, which contained pipes. That must have been how.

I stuffed my parchment back into my bag, and hastily scribbled down the word "Pipes" on the bottom of the page I had ripped out. I put my quill and ink back into my book bag before grabbing the mirror and heading back out, making sure to check around every corner. Along the way I met Penelope Clearwater, a Ravenclaw girl in sixth year...who, if I remembered correctly, was also Muggle-born. I stopped her and rapidly explained it all-the basilisk, the pipes, and how looking around corners with a mirror would keep us safe. She believed me, especially after I showed her the page. I was expecting to be reprimanded by her for ruining a library book-after all, she was a prefect-but she recognized the importance of this information. She didn't have a mirror or anything reflective on her, so she was forced to stick with me. We were going first to find Harry and Ron, and tell them, and then, at her insistence, tell a professor. They would be able to handle this.

At every corner we stopped and checked with the mirror, so that we would not happen upon the basilisk. If we looked into its eyes without any protection, it would mean instant death. She was just as careful as I was, double-checking along with me before we made a mad dash to the next corner, where we looked into the compact mirror again at the same time.

I saw a pair of big yellow eyes reflected back at me.

A/N: I don't own anything! Anyway, this is for the Anything You Wanna Write competition over at HPFC, where my character was Hermione.


End file.
